Technical Field
This invention relates to retail purchases and specifically to an apparatus for executing on-line purchases.
State of the Art
When limited quantity items are sold over the internet (on-line), the computer servers that process the purchase checkout can become overloaded due to high demand. When a server runs out of processing power and depth to handle the number of concurrent users trying to search for the item, add it to their cart, and make the purchase, some users begin to get dropped from their internet session and have to begin the process over again. In some cases, a customer who had a place “in line” to purchase the item, will lose their place in line because of a server overload, and may possibly find they cannot purchase the item because the quantity has run out once they try again. This causes anger and frustration towards the retailer, and does not contribute to good customer relationships.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system for handling on-line purchases which puts users in line and executes their on-line purchases smoothly and without dropping customers or making them lose their place in line.